


Dunkin Donuts

by Asynchronous



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Human AU, M/M, coffee shop AU, dunkin donuts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2018-10-18 16:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10620825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asynchronous/pseuds/Asynchronous
Summary: Virgil hates working at Dunkin Donuts, but he figures, hey, maybe he'll get his coffee shop AU! Nah, who is he kidding? Those are reserved for cute little cafes. Sometimes Starbucks. But who ever heard of a Dunkin Donuts AU? This summer... was gonna suck.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this Tumblr post: http://incorrectprinxietyquotes.tumblr.com/post/159385529205/cliche-or-not-coffeeshop-au-where-anx-is-the-dead, but it's not really all that related, sorry. Extremely loosely based on a true story from when I worked at Dunkin Donuts one summer. This isn't actually a fanfic it's just an excuse for me to complain about how bad I am at making coffee oops.

Virgil hated his job.

 

...no. No, that wasn't true. He wished it were true. If he truly hated his job, maybe he could just convince himself he didn't really care. But he did care. He cared an awful lot about everything all the time, and that included his stupid summer job at Dunkin Donuts.

 

The problem was, he was  _terrible_ at it.

 

Honestly, he hadn't even expected to get the job. He had been pretty desperate for money-college doesn't pay for itself, after all-but he knew he wasn't the most hire-able person. Fresh out of high school, very little job experience, and the walking poster-boy for anxiety and introversion, he found himself failing job interview after job interview, until one day, while lying in bed and drowning himself in self-loathing over his apparent ineptitude, he got the call. Dunkin Donuts was offering to hire him.

 

He may or may not have danced gleefully to Queen's "We Are the Champions" after he hung up. He would probably deny it if anyone asked. But this was a start for him! He was getting somewhere! He had a job now! Like a real adult!

 

Oh no.

 

Virgil tried to stay optimistic, though, he really did. Hey, during his job interview, the hiring manager said that his main job would be to make coffee... maybe he would get a coffee shop AU! Or maybe he just read too much fanfiction. Whatever, he needed all the hope he could get. He had passed the interview part. Now he had to find the courage to face the starting-the-job part. And if it took the hope of meeting someone cute to motivate him, well then, that would just have to be what motivated him. So, on his first day of work, he woke up at 5AM (ugh, mornings), showered, got dressed, and rode the bus to his very first job.

 

Problem 1: He knew absolutely nothing about coffee.

 

His trainer thought he was an idiot right off the bat. In his defense, he... really couldn't drink coffee. His anxiety was awful as it was. He had tried to drink the classic beverage three times in the past, and all three times, the caffeine had set him over into an anxiety attack, so he just decided to write it off as not an option. But now that someone was staring at him disapprovingly as he tried desperately to figure out what the hell an "espresso" was, he wished he had at least researched a little. And he'd never done well with being rushed. He got all clumsy-he managed to spill no fewer than five coffees during the five hours he was there.

 

His first day was hell, his second day wasn't any better, his third day was probably worse, and his misery continued for, well, at least a month. The drive-thru headset hurt his ears, the lights hurt his eyes, he hadn't worked out a day in his life so the iced coffee buckets and donut racks were too heavy, and his coworkers made no attempt to pretend they liked him.

 

His manager Thomas did, though. He made a real genuine attempt to cheer Virgil up, because he could see how much he beat himself up about everything. Which honestly made him feel even worse about his constant failures. Because the thing was, Virgil really, really cared about his job, and he wanted to be good at it. He loved the old ladies who came in every morning and flirted with him as he poured their standard "medium, cream and sugar." He loved the grumpy old guys who just grunted and tossed a few dollar bills at him, because, honestly, same. And he especially loved the little kids who looked up at him with shy excitement because  _"mom is letting us eat double chocolate donuts with sprinkles for breakfast and this is the best day ever_." But the more he tried, the more he messed it all up. He was sure he'd get fired soon.

 

The first month passed, however, and he wasn't fired. Turns out, people quit there so often that he got brownie points just for showing up on time every day. After realizing that, he started to relax a little. He was good at showing up on time and caring about things. If those were the top job requirements, maybe he could survive here after all.

 

And so one day in June, he was feeling a little more confident than usual, working drive-thru, getting coffees to the window just barely on time but still technically on time so he counted it as a victory, when suddenly he hears a customer say into the speaker, "It's Roman!"

 

Huh?

 

Virgil jumped a little when Thomas put a hand on his shoulder. "Step aside," Thomas instructed.

 

"Wha-?"

 

"Roman is a regular, and he is... notoriously difficult. I'll handle this one. Go get some cream to refill the cream machines."

 

"Uh... okay."

 

Virgil had to admit, he was a little hurt that Thomas didn't think he could handle this one... And a little annoyed that he didn't get to see this Roman guy. Must be pretty obnoxious to warrant manager intervention just by showing up in the drive-thru. Virgil rushed to the walk-in refrigerator and grabbed the cream as fast as he could, hoping to get back to his spot in time to see Roman through the window. He was pretty proud of himself that he was strong enough now to carry four half-gallon jugs at once, but now was not the time to stop and celebrate. He had a pretentious loser to spot.

 

He made his way to the cream machines and started pouring in the first half-gallon while also trying to subtly peek out the window. He didn't even notice when the cream started to run down his hand.

 

"Virgil!" Thomas yelled. That snapped Virgil out of his trance and he noticed that he was definitely spilling the cream everywhere  _but_ its designated receptacle.

 

"Oh, no, I'm so sorry, I-"

 

"No... no, no need to apologize. You only spilled half the jug. That's progress!" Thomas smiled weakly. Virgil decided that Thomas didn't get paid enough.

 

Unfortunately, the cream fiasco caused him to miss Roman's brief time at the window. Darn. Well... Thomas said the guy was a regular. Maybe he'd get another shot.

 

So, Virgil listened for Roman every day. Unfortunately, every day, he was always busy with something else when Roman came through the line. Refilling the cream machines. Restocking the donut case. Brewing more iced coffee. Dealing with another customer. For another month, Roman remained elusive.

 

Until one day.

 

Virgil was the only one working drive-thru. Rush hours were over, so they only had one worker for each part of the store, plus one other person who just filled in wherever needed. Thomas went into his office in the afternoons to work on the paperwork side of running the store, so Virgil was essentially alone in the drive-thru, and that was when he truly thrived: alone, without a rush line. It was manageable and peaceful and he was able to truly focus on making each coffee perfect. Which would really come in handy now, because he suddenly heard through his headset, "Hey, it's Roman!"

 

Virgil froze. Roman. "Roman?"

 

"Yes," the voice said impatiently, "Roman. I'd like the usual, please."

 

Well, he did have the decency to say "please." That was encouraging.

 

"Uh, I'm sorry," Virgil said nervously, "I'm new here, I'm afraid I don't know your usual. Could you please explain it to me?"

 

"Ugh," Roman huffed, "just go get Thomas."

 

Nuh-uh. No way. Virgil was  _not_ passing up the opportunity to see this guy's face. Or find out what his order was, for that matter. "Sorry, Thomas is super busy. Totally important manager stuff. You're stuck with me."

 

Roman sighed dramatically again. " _Fine_. But listen carefully. If you mess up my coffee... I shall have to slay you."

 

Whoa, whoa, hold up, did he seriously just say that?  _Slay_? What... Virgil was just a poor incompetent Dunkin Donuts employee, not a dragon witch. Get a grip, dude. "Yeah, whatever dude, just give me your order, you're holding up the line."

 

This time, Roman's sigh was deeply offended. "You're lucky I'm feeling pleasant today, or I would have to report you to Thomas. That is no way to speak to a customer. Very ungentlemanly."

 

This was his pleasant mood? Yikes. "You're right," Virgil said sarcastically, "I should be honored to serve you. And I am. Please, tell me what you desire. Your wish is my command."

 

"That's more like it," said Roman, and Virgil rolled his eyes. What a drama queen. King? Prince? "First of all, I would like an iced coffee in a medium cup. So, a medium iced coffee." As much as Virgil hated to admit it, he appreciated Roman's thoroughness. He had a hard time focusing and working quickly, but he didn't have to worry about that with Roman at all. "I would like it to be half regular iced coffee, and half dark roast iced coffee. And I would like a little bit less than your normal amount of ice. I'm not paying for ice, I'm paying for coffee." Virgil nodded, forgetting that Roman couldn't actually see him through the headset. "I would like two pumps of mocha swirl, one pump of caramel swirl, and a half a pump of hazelnut swirl." Okay, technically, the pump had a halfway mark, but come on, who the heck actually asked for half a pump? He still had to pay for the whole pump. "It also needs a shot of sugar-free almond flavor. I need a shot of espresso," dude, start off with the espresso, the machine takes forever, "two shots of cream, one shot of sugar," the swirl flavors are already sugared, this guy was gonna get serious cavities, "whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle, but drizzle it nicely! Don't just throw it on there, it ruins the aesthetic." Oh, okay, this coffee wasn't actually for drinking, it was for aesthetic. "Oh, and mix it up really well, before you put in the whipped cream," that was technically part of the normal procedure but Roman stressed him out enough that he just spooned out the whipped cream and did the mixing and whipped cream over again, "and put the iced coffee cup inside a Styrofoam cup. If you don't, the cup will get all wet and ruin my car." Yes, because a little condensation from a coffee cup can ruin a car.

 

"Alright, Roman, that'll be 3.53 at the window," Virgil said into the headset.

 

"It had better be right," Roman insisted.

 

"I'm feeling pretty confident." That was a lie.

 

Virgil stood at the window, coffee in hand, and watched the car roll up. He didn't know much about cars, but he was pretty sure this was one of the pretentious kinds, and it was red, and looked like Roman washed and repainted it three times a day. He had the horrible mental image of spilling the coffee down the side of the car door. No thanks, Brain. I'd rather not get slayed today.

 

He prepared himself for the inevitable social interaction as Roman came to a stop at the window... But nothing could have prepared him for this.

 

Virgil had literally never seen anyone so attractive in his entire life.

 

Okay, sure, so the guy looked like a bit of a pretentious jerk, but maybe he earned that right, he was  _gorgeous_. His eyes were a deep coffee brown, probably because he drank way too much of the stuff. He may have had an entire can of hairspray holding his hair in place, but you know what? It worked for him. Somehow, it worked for him. He wore a silky red button-down (he clearly had a thing for red), a hint of eyeliner and mascara, and his lips were coated in a shimmery lip gloss. Virgil tried not to think too hard about the flavor.

 

"Yes, I know I'm stunning, now, coffee, please," Roman smirked. Normally, Virgil would have a sarcastic response for that, but he was still kinda working on the not-thinking-about-the-lip-gloss-flavor part, so instead, he just kind of weakly mumbled, "3.53, please," while taking the debit card from Roman's hand and passing him the coffee.

 

As Virgil ran the card, Roman took a sip. He shrugged and nodded. "This is acceptable. Good job."

 

"Uh. Yeah. Thanks," Virgil muttered as he handed back the card and receipt. "Have a nice day."

 

Roman chuckled. "You too, Virgil." He winked and drove off.

 

It was probably close to three minutes before Virgil was able to get the loading screen off his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: For those of you who were asking, I HAVE started a second chapter. It's almost finished, but I'm really really tired and I can't decide if I want to dedicate myself to several more chapters and try to make this slow burn, or just stick with one more and wrap it up in this chapter. So everything but the ending of the next chapter is written, and I'll make the decision tomorrow or something when I'm not falling asleep. If you have an opinion on the matter, go ahead and comment to let me know! Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think I write better when sleep deprived... We're about to test that theory. This one is from Roman's POV.

Two weeks.

It had been TWO WEEKS since the cute boy had worked in the drive-thru.

Had Roman just imagined him? Was he even real? He _had_ kind of looked like he was struggling to maintain his corporeal form. Maybe he had actually been a ghost. A very cute ghost who just needed to make a coffee for Roman before he could move on to the other side.

He was just about to give up on the possibility of ever seeing him again when finally, finally, the presumed apparition reappeared. His appearance was brief, however; he quickly tossed a box of donuts onto the table next to the drive-thru before racing back to the front counter.

Hmm. Maybe the drive-thru was a one-time thing.

So that was how, the next day, Roman ended up actually walking into the Dunkin Donuts building for the first time in his life.

It was smaller than he expected. There were fewer than ten tables, and at least four of them were shoved together and occupied by a small horde of retirees gossiping over newspapers. Well, it was Florida, after all. There was an ice cream counter along one wall and a donut display case along the other. And sure enough, standing in front of the donut display case... was Virgil.

More specifically, he was facing the display case, looking at it pensively, as if this donut case contained the meaning of life somewhere on its shelves, if only he could squint hard enough.

Roman cleared his throat. Virgil nearly jumped out of his skin.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you, I-Oh... it's you." Virgil seemed to be stuck somewhere between fascinated and horrified. Roman just felt honored that he'd remembered him.

"Roman, the one and only," Roman winked.

Whatever look had originally been on Virgil's face melted into pure, grade A, local, organic, grass-fed, rBST-free annoyance. "Yep. Still an honor," he said sarcastically. "What do you want?"

"I would like a coffee without a side of attitude," Roman huffed. "Attitude is my thing. I do it better than you."

Virgil snorted. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Let me guess, you would like a medium iced coffee, half regular, half dark roast, low ice, two mocha, one caramel, half hazelnut, sugar-free almond, a shot of espresso that you really should have said earlier because the machine takes forever, stirred really well, whipped cream, chocolate drizzle drizzled _nicely_ , and the plastic cup inside a Styrofoam cup because condensation will ruin your car. Is that right?"

Roman.exe stopped working. Okay, maybe they were tied on the attitude thing. How did he remember all of that after just one time?

Apparently Roman wasn't the only one wondering that. "Roman! I... Didn't know you and Virgil knew each other... Or that you ever came inside... Like... Ever... Is everything alright over here?" Thomas laughed nervously.

And then Virgil.exe stopped working as well, because apparently he just realized his boss had heard everything. The hilarious image of Virgil's returned horror brought Roman.exe back online.

"Yes, of course, everything's fine. Count Chocula here has quite the memory, but then again, I guess I'm rather memorable," Roman smirked.

Virgil.exe rebooted, this time with a subtler display screen of grade B, imported, corn-fed annoyance, since his boss was standing right there. "Absolutely unforgettable," he murmured.

Thomas's eyes flicked between the two uncertainly. "Alright, well... If you need anything... Just... Let me know!" He all but ran off to some other imaginary task, where things were less stiflingly awkward.

Neither of the two remaining men were entirely sure how to proceed. Virgil broke the uncomfortable silence first. "So, your usual, is that alright with you?"

Roman refused to make eye contact. "Uh. Yeah. Sure. Sounds great. Huge fan," he mumbled.

"Great. 3.53."

Roman handed over the money, and Virgil walked away to make the coffee.

No, no, no, this was not how this was supposed to go! Roman had meant to be charming, but the anxious barista wouldn't give him a chance! He should probably just let it go. If he wasn't interested, then he wasn't interested.

Still... He had remembered his entire ridiculously long coffee order after two weeks... surely that meant something? 

He was still pondering it when Virgil returned with his coffee, but he ultimately wasn't brave enough to ask. He took the coffee and left feeling dejected and empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hypothesis: I write better when sleep deprived.  
> Conclusion: I pushed it too far with this one, this isn't better, it's just weirder. Alas.  
> Anyway, my roommate, who reads all my stuff before I post it on the Internet because I'm not brave enough to do it without a second opinion first, said that she didn't think my continuation of this fic could be comfortably resolved in one chapter, so you're all stuck with a sad Roman at the end of this chapter, muwahaha. I can end the fic there, it's certainly a realistic ending though not a happy one, or I can keep writing. Whatever y'all want. This second chapter was mostly written for the people who asked for it, but I don't think this is what you meant oops.  
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted an excuse to put Princey in his Prince outfit and write tooth-rotting ice cream fluff ok I don't care if this fits the plot or characterization, sue me, I do what I want

There were a great number of things that could strike fear into Virgil's heart. Really, the list was almost endless. Spiders. Rejection. The bottom of the ocean. Change. He could probably fill a notebook with all the things he feared. But there was nothing, absolutely nothing, that Virgil feared more than the song "Good to Be Alive" by Andy Grammer.

That song was a terrible, terrible omen. It was the soundtrack to his inevitable doom. Any time he heard the initial telltale "uh-huh" blast over the Dunkin Donuts speakers, he knew something bad was about to happen. It never failed. A machine would break, a donut tray would fall, someone would order 15 lattes at once, it was something different every time, but something would definitely go wrong, and Andy Grammer's chirpy positivity would mock his torment in the background. Virgil had been classically conditioned. Just a single "uh-huh," that was all it took to send his heart rate through the roof.

_And today had been going so well_ , Virgil thought miserably. He hadn't made a single mistake yet that day. Looked like his streak was about to end. He closed his eyes for a small prayer that his fate would be quick and painless, and when he opened them... there was a prince standing in front of him?

_Oh shit, that's Roman._

"Your prayers have been answered, your Prince is here," Roman grinned, running a hand through his hair, careful not to disrupt the hairspray too much.

Virgil couldn't help his snort of laughter. This guy was utterly ridiculous. Apparently, the awkwardness of their last encounter was forgotten in Roman's mind. He seemed willing to forgive any transgression in the name of being dramatic. "Why are you dressed like that?" Virgil questioned, because Roman really was dressed like a Prince. White tunic, red sash, black slacks. Straight out of a Disney movie.

"I was volunteering at a preschool," Roman explained, and oh, of course he was. That was just too adorable. It pissed Virgil off. How dare he be charming?

"Sounds fun," Virgil mumbled. "The usual?"

"Oh, no, no coffee today," said Roman, and that was when Virgil noticed that Roman hadn't moved his right arm at all during the conversation. He leaned down and came back up with a three-year-old in his arms, previously hidden by the counter. "This little one wants ice cream!"

_How did this scenario get cuter???_

"Roman, you know you're not supposed to take the preschoolers home with you, right?" Virgil teased.

"I'm afraid I simply couldn't resist," Roman grinned, "this one was just too cute. Patton, can you say hi to Virgil?"

Patton waved shyly before giggling and burying his face in Roman's chest.

"He's my nephew," Roman explained. "My brother had to work late today, so I get to spend the day with him."

 "And you came to see me? How sweet," said Virgil.

"Like ice cream!" Patton announced suddenly, causing Virgil to flinch. "Ice cream is sweet," the child smiled proudly.

Once Virgil recovered from the sudden noise, he straightened up and nodded very seriously. "Yes, you are absolutely right, little guy, ice cream is indeed sweet. Let's go investigate, shall we?"

**Good to be alive, right about now!**

Virgil shuddered as the ominous song loudly reminded him of its presence, but Roman and Patton remained unfazed as they all made their way to the ice cream case.  _Don't screw this up_ , Virgil thought to himself desperately. Cute kids were his favorite part of this job, and a cute kid being held by a cute guy?  _Don't mess it up_.

"What would you like?" Virgil asked, faking confidence. He'd be fine as long as they didn't ask for a large Rocky Road milkshake. Rocky Road ice cream was impossible to scoop gracefully.

"RAINBOW!" squealed Patton. "Uncle Ro, look, there's rainbow ice cream, look look look look look!" He was trying to point, hold on to Roman, and push Roman's face towards the ice cream all at once, and he seemed to have lost all understanding of how arms work. It was kind of adorable.

Roman chucked. "Yeah, I see it, I see the rainbow. Is that what you want?" Patton nodded vehemently. "I think I'll take a scoop of rainbow ice cream, too. I like to make things rainbow as much as possible." And then Roman winked.

He  _winked_ , that  _jerk_ , was he flirting? Virgil had just thought he was obnoxious. He felt his face getting warm and prayed that his makeup covered it. He was tired of being reduced to a blushing fool by this pretty man. "Cup or cone?" he grumbled.

Roman's face fell at the flat, gravelly tone. "Uh... Cone for me, cup for Patton," and no, no, that's not what Virgil meant to do. He hadn't meant to sound annoyed. Why did their interactions keep going sour?

But now he was entirely too embarrassed to recover the conversation, so he simply scooped the ice cream in silence and directed the Prince to the register.

**Good to be alive, right about now!**

Evil, evil song.

Roman set Patton back on the ground so he could get to his wallet, and Patton cut through the tension a little by leaning towards his ice cream with grabby hands. Virgil offered a small smile as he handed both their ice cream. Poor child. Stuck in the middle of Roman's flirting and Virgil's incompetence.

"Your eyes are really pretty," Patton smiled at Virgil before shoving a giant spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Okay, maybe he was oblivious to the adults' discomfort. That only made Virgil blush worse though.

"Heh, thanks, kid," Virgil smiled shyly, avoiding Roman's gaze. "Uh, 5.35." Roman slid his debit card across the counter, apparently also avoiding eye contact. Or, attempting.

"Uncle Ro, look. His eyes are really pretty," Patton hummed, and oh, Virgil was glad he looked back in time to see Roman's face, it was a great relief to not be the only one blushing anymore.

"Yes, Patton, his eyes are very nice." He took back the debit card and shoved it back in his wallet quickly. "Ready to go?"

And now Virgil had a choice to make. He could let Andy Grammer's prophecy be fulfilled, keep Roman believing that all of their interactions were doomed to fail and that Virgil couldn't stand Roman, risk letting his social awkwardness chase away someone who might actually like him... or he could be brave and do something.

"Roman's eyes are pretty too, aren't they Patton?" Let the kid do the translating. He was better at it.

Roman, however, jerked up to look at Virgil, jaw slack.

"Yeah, Uncle Ro has pretty eyes too," Patton said casually, as if it were so obvious it didn't even need to be said. "Can I watch Winnie the Pooh when we get home?"

"Uh... yeah," Roman said, snapping out of his shock. "Sure thing, Patton. Let's head home."

"Hope to see you around," Virgil murmured shyly.

"I think I can manage that," Roman beamed, before turning and allowing Patton to pull him away towards the door.

**Good to be alive, right about now!**

At last, the curse was lifted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! This is still just an excuse for me to complain about things I hated at work! "Good to Be Alive" by Andy Grammer... DOOM SONG! DOOM! dooooooooooom
> 
> On a serious note, thanks to everyone who has been leaving nice comments. :) Never thought I'd be writing a multichapter fic like this, but here we are. I should probably figure out a direction for this thing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Logan made a suggestive joke, gosh DARN it Logan, making me up the rating! Shame.

"I'm a fool, Logan. A fool!"

"You really don't have to sell me on that, Roman, I've considered you a fool your whole life," Logan muttered dryly. "Can you please try to keep quiet? I don't want you waking Patton."

"You have no sympathy," Roman whined from his position lying across the piano, still in his Prince attire from earlier. Logan had given up on reprimanding him for the act long ago. It was technically Roman's piano, if he broke it, it was his loss.

"Roman, you fall in love with someone every time you leave the house. So this one agreed that you're attractive. From what I've heard, that's a common consensus. If you really want his number, why don't you just go back and see if he's still working? Dunkin Donuts is open 24 hours." Logan didn't even bother looking up from his laptop, and it infuriated Roman.

"No, I can't do that!" Roman whined. "He'll think I'm desperate."

Logan snorted in response. "And what's wrong with him thinking the truth?"

"You just don't understand love," Roman complained.

"Not romantic love, at least," Logan conceded. "I just think you're complicating the matter. If you had been upfront about your attraction to him a month ago you could be on him right now instead of on that piano that I keep telling you to get off of."

"Logan!"

"Don't wake up Patton."

"You can't just use Patton as an excuse to say whatever you want without allowing me to protest."

"Clearly I can, because I just did."

Roman slid grumpily off the piano and made a show of crawling across the floor and onto the couch seat next to Logan. "I'm seeeerious, Logan, what if I missed my chance? What if we were meant to be and I never see him again? What if we both die alone because I was too much of a fool to get his number or leave mine?"

Logan sighed, pushed on his glasses in aggravation, and shut his laptop in resignation. "For now, I'm going to ignore the fact that you're only nineteen and still have years ahead of you to have one of your millions of ridiculous crushes reciprocated, because you're clearly not planning on letting go of this any time soon. I just... still don't understand what the problem is. You go to Dunkin Donuts every day. You're bound to run into him again."

"What if he quit right after I left? What if he got fired? What if he moves, like, tomorrow? What if he's abducted by aliens? Or the mafia? Or-"

"While those are all possibilities, they are... definitely not probabilities." Logan cut him off before he hand the chance to work himself up any further. "Please calm down, Roman. I know this is important to you, but this way of thinking is not helpful to you. If you see him again, ask him out. If you don't, well, life will go on. I promise."

Roman sighed. "I guess you're right." He didn't sound happy about it, but he had to admit that he was being just a tad dramatic. As always.

"I generally am," Logan smirked, and before Roman had the chance to refute the claim, he continued, "so what's this guy like, anyway?"

Roman bounced up from his previous slouching position into full alert, gesturing wildly with every word. "He's _gorgeous_ , Logan, absolutely gorgeous, his name is Virgil, and he's like, an emo nightmare, but it suits him! I mean, I've only ever seen him in his uniform, and the Dunkin Donuts uniforms are absolutely hideous, but you just know, get him out of that white polo and brown apron and there would be black everywhere, and probably spikes, too, but not like, in a tough guy way, more like a... soft shy little porcupine kind of way. 'Cause he tries to act tough but you can tell it's just 'cause he's nervous and it's kind of hilarious but in a charming way? And he has purple hair, AUGH, I love purple, it's such a great color and such a great look for him. He always keeps it over his eyes and I don't understand why because honestly his eyes are just lovely, that's what I was telling you earlier, I thought he hated me until Patton said his eyes were pretty, and so Virgil said my eyes were pretty, and that's how I knew he was actually just shy and he's totally in love with me, as he should be, because we're meant to be, and we're going to get married in a castle on the beach in Ireland," Roman concluded, a little out of breath from his passionate outpour.

"Alright, slow down, slow down," Logan said with a slight smile, "you barely know him. Let's not start planning the wedding just yet."

Roman sighed dreamily. "Okay, fine. But still. I hope I see him again."

"I'm sure you will," Logan consoled. Little did Roman know, his older brother had a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have the next few chapters ready? I'm actually prepared for once in my life? Nah, I just. Wrote a bunch and then realized it was really long and could be broken up haha but I'm going to wait to post the others in an effort to look like an author who actually has my life together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This probably shouldn't have qualified as a chapter all by itself but I didn't want it to be part of the previous chapter and I didn't want it to be part of the next chapter so here we are.

Logan had a plan. But he never claimed it was a sophisticated plan. 

"Hot black coffee, no sugar, please." Logan set his reusable cup down on the counter and slid it to the girl who took his order. "Say, would you happen to know when Virgil works next?" 

"Virgil?" The girl hummed as she poured the coffee. "He mostly works mornings, but I heard he's leaving in like a week or so. Why do you ask?" 

Huh. So Roman's fears weren't unfounded after all. "My brother has a crush on him and I'm trying to speed up the courtship process so I don't have to listen to any more pining," Logan responded. He was never skilled in the subtlety department. 

The girl barely suppressed a giggle. "Virgil? Really? That's fascinating. Well, I don't know his schedule," she handed over the coffee and took Logan's debit card in return, "but he normally leaves before noon, unless he's covering someone else's afternoon shift, so I'd say that's your best bet." 

Logan took back his card with a grateful nod. "Thank you. Please don't tell Virgil I interfered. I've never even met him," he confessed. 

"Sure thing," the girl laughed. "Have a nice day!" 

The moment Logan closed his car door, he called Roman. "Hey, Roman, I know you hate waking up before noon, but you're going to have to overcome it for at least one morning. I just learned that the main reason you rarely see Virgil is that he normally gets off work by noon, and he's leaving in a week. If you want a date, you're going to need to act fast." 

"What? How do you know that?" 

"I asked the girl working there this afternoon." 

"You WHAT?!?" 

"I told you, Roman, you were unnecessarily complicating the issue, and I wanted to help. Despite what you seem to think, I do want to see you happy, although I'll never quite understand your fixation on romance. But anyway, I just thought I'd... push things along." 

"I can't decide if I'm grateful or angry right now." 

"You don't have to pick one. Have a good day, Roman." He hung up before Roman had a chance to respond. 

"No, wait, I- aaaaand you hung up. Jerk." Roman shoved his phone back in his pocket and briefly mourned the loss of flip phones. So much more effective for expressing frustration. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo I'm adding two chapters in one day. Yay!

It was too early. Far too early. 10AM. Absolutely barbaric. Roman comforted himself with the reminder that he was on his way to get coffee, but he didn't even need it after the hour it took him to get ready. If he was going to ask someone out, he needed to look perfect, but not like he was trying! If he looked like he was trying, it would just be pathetic, who dresses up to go to Dunkin Donuts? So he went for a simple jeans and t-shirt look, opting for some of his more form-fitting options that he knew looked great on him.

"Ughhhhh, this is ridiculous," Roman sighed at himself in the mirror. Logan was right. He barely knew Virgil. What if they actually had nothing in common beyond being incredibly attractive?

Well, there wasn't much to risk though, was there? Logan said Virgil was leaving in a week. He wasn't entirely sure what he meant by "leaving," but at the very least, he was leaving his job at Roman's preferred Dunkin Donuts, so he might as well see what happened.

He pulled up to the Dunkin Donuts building at 11:15AM and took a moment to compose himself.  _It can't hurt to ask, it can't hurt to ask_ , he reassured himself, eyes closed.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Virgil leaving the building.

_What? No! Dang it, I was here before noon! Darn morning people._  Roman got out of the car, carefully avoiding looking in Virgil's direction. Totally casual. Totally didn't see him there. Totally not there for the specific purpose of seeing him.

"Virgil! Hi!" Roman said after deciding he had spent an appropriate amount of time pretending not to see Virgil. "Are you heading out?"

Virgil jumped and glared momentarily before forcing himself to relax.  _Roman! You know he's easily startled. Don't scare him_ , Roman mentally reprimanded himself. "Uh, yeah, I'm going home," Virgil said quietly.

"Oh, do you live close to here?" Roman asked, noticing that Virgil didn't appear to be going towards any of the cars.

Virgil shrugged. "Ish."

Ah, not feeling talkative today. "Ish? I was just asking 'cause it looked like you were walking away from the parking lot," Roman explained.

"Oh. Uh... yeah." Virgil nodded. He appeared to be trying to evaluate Roman's intentions before cautiously continuing, "I was just going to the bus stop down the street."

"The bus stop? But the bus route is so inconvenient around here! Can I offer a ride?"

Virgil eyed Roman's car suspiciously. "I barely know you."

Roman shrugged. "That can be changed, you know."

Virgil hesitated a while longer before slowly mumbling, "I would accept a ride if you were cool with that."

Roman grinned. "I'm more than cool with that. Hold on, lemme get this coffee real quick. This is early for me."

Virgil scoffed; he was used to the early shift, 11AM was late in his mind. "Sure. I'll be right here." He pulled out his phone and began scrolling in a gesture of patience.

When Roman came back, Virgil was still scrolling, but a quick glance at the phone's screen - which he didn't intend, of course! he would never invade someone's privacy like that! - showed that Virgil was actually just moving his thumb over the Google home screen in a scrolling motion. That... was strange. Roman figured it was best not to comment.

"Ready to go?" Roman grinned.

Virgil flinched again, apparently not noticing Roman's return. "Uh... yeah."

Roman unlocked the door, and they both climbed inside.

"So. Where do you live?" Roman asked.

Virgil looked at him blankly, as if he hadn't yet processed that he would actually need to tell Roman where to go, before finally stuttering out a "l... left."

Roman was once again beginning to question his life decisions as he pulled out of the parking lot and turned left. He supposed the fact that Virgil was in the car at all was an indication that he felt comfortable enough to accept a ride, but he still seemed anxious, and Roman wasn't sure why.

"So uh... how was your day?" Roman ventured, hoping to ease some of the tension. But Virgil just groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Wow. That bad, huh?"

"Generally," Virgil grumbled.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Roman consoled.

"Yeah, well, thankfully, I'm only there for another week. I'm sure they'll throw a party -  _after_  I'm gone." Virgil kept his face in his hands, and Roman's heart broke a little.

"Hey, well, I like you well enough!" Roman encouraged.

"You barely know me," Virgil reminded him. "Why are you helping me, anyway?"

"I think you're cute," Roman answered honestly. Why lie? "And I think you might think I'm cute, too. I hope so, anyway."

Virgil finally pulled his head from out of his hands to look at Roman. "That's kinda shallow."

Roman smirked. "Why did you accept the ride?"

"Maybe I didn't want to spend an hour on the convoluted bus route," Virgil said defensively.

"Fair enough. I still think you think I'm cute though."

And oh goodness, now Virgil was pouting, he was actually pouting, that was hilarious. "Turn right," he said tersely.

Roman let Virgil have a few more moments to be bitter before continuing the conversation. "You're not wrong. My interest in you has been pretty shallow so far. But it doesn't have to stay that way, you know. I'd like to get to know you a little more, if you would let me. Or not. You never have to see me again, if that's what you would prefer. I just knew I would regret it forever if I didn't at least ask you for a date."

Virgil looked at Roman with wide eyes, and Roman wanted to stare back, make meaning of the look, hope it was a good thing, but unfortunately, he was driving and was limited to occasional glances. True to their overall trend, they endured an uncomfortable silence before finally Virgil spoke up.

“Roman… I… I would love to, but…”

But.

“I’m… moving. In a week.”

And there it was.

“Then we’ll have to be quick! How about now?” The words, like many of Roman’s words, left his mouth before they had even fully entered his brain. Sometimes he was grateful for that feature. It made him feel brave, when in reality it was just as often plain impulsiveness.

“N-now?” Virgil stuttered.

“Now,” Roman grinned. “But only if you want, of course!”

Virgil chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. “Uh… I’ll have to call my mom,” he muttered. “She’s really overprotective, if I’m not home exactly when she expects, she’ll freak.”

Roman swallowed a squeal of excitement. “Is that a yes then?”

“Ha. Yeah. Sure.”

Roman stifled a squeal. _He said yes! This is happening! A date is happening!_

_...Oh shit. I didn't think I'd get this far._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright y'all, if anyone has any ideas of what to make this date, let me know! 'Cause I don't have the faintest clue! I find out the progression of this story approximately the same time y'all do! Where are they going? I don't know! I might not update this fic again until I graduate! Happy 2018!


End file.
